Richard Lussier

Autism Light #363 is Richard Lussier. 

Special Veterans Day Recognition!

Richard Lussier is a 49 year old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. from Lewiston, Maine. Richard Lussier has four children, including a 15 year old son named Caleb who has autism. Richard Lussier is an Autism Light because when he returned home from a 5 month deployment in Afghanistan in February, 2014, he organized his return into a very special surprise for his son Caleb.

Richard Lussier is a true military hero. He is a veteran of Desert Storm and had reenlisted at age 49 in order to give a break to the younger soldiers who have had multiple deployments.

Richard Lussier had been home for a week from a five month deployment in Afghanistan, but had kept his return a secret from his son Caleb, in order to surprise him. Richard Lussier surprised his son by being a guest speaker at the Air Force Junior ROTC meeting at Lewiston High School in Maine on February 4, 2014. Caleb was not told who the speaker was, only that it was classified information. 

At the reunion Caleb hugged his father Richard.  Caren Lussier, Caleb's mother said, "It was amazing, because you don't see that from Caleb. There's no hugs, no kissing or touching (Autism Speaks, February 5, 2014)."

Here are some online stories about Richard Lussier and his special reunion with his son Caleb.

• Deployed Dad Surprises Son at School
• Maine Soldier and Autistic Son Have Touching Reunion

Special thanks to Richard Lussier for all he does in the service of of his country and as an autism father. Richard Lussier is representative of other autism fathers in military service.  His service is an inspiration to the autism community.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Matthew W. Shaw

Autism Light #254 is Matthew W. Shaw.

Today we honor a young man who had autism and brought joy to others in both his work career and personal life. Matthew Shaw was born on July 2, 1974, in Portland, Maine. Matthew Shaw died on September 16, 2012, from the effects of a pulmonary embolism he suffered on August 24, 2012. Matthew Shaw is an Autism Light posthumously for the joy he brought others and the way his life accomplishments served as an inspiration to others with autism. Matthew Shaw will be added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll today. The tribute below to Matthew Shaw from his obituary summarizes how his life was an inspiration.

---

"He was admired for his strong work ethic. He overcame his autism with determination and a positive attitude. He never complained. He accomplished more than anyone thought possible." 

(Source)

---

Vincent Shaw said about his brother's life:  "Matthew proved everyone wrong. My mother believed in him. My father believed in him, and Matthew believed in himself. He was so successful in everything he did. He was truly amazing (Source)."

Education: Matthew Shaw was educated at the Spurwink School and also graduated with honors from the Portland Regional Vocational Technical Center.

Work: Matthew Shaw had worked full-time for the Maine Medical Partners -- Endocrinology & Diabetes Center in Scarborough, Maine, where he scanned and labeled medical records in their data system. Audra Buschagen, practice administrator at Maine Medical Partners, said Matthew Shaw "was 150 percent qualified and did the job perfectly (Source)."  Prior to that Matthew worked in a similar role for 13 years at Maine Cardiology Associates. When he was in school he worked part-time for the City of South Portland, Maine in their Finance Department.

Hobbies:  Matthew Shaw had a keen interest in music and could provide the title of any song and it's artist from the 1970s to the 1990s period (Source). According to the Portland Press Herald, Matthew's "hobbies included trips to Beech Ridge Speedway, music, playing the guitar and his computer. Matt was a sports enthusiast and particularly liked the Nascar racing, Boston Celtics, and the NBA basketball. Matt mostly enjoyed spending time with his family (Source)."  He also was known to wear a Christmas hat for the entire Christmas season, because of his affinity for this holiday.

Funeral: Matthew Shaw's Funeral Services were held on September 20, 2012 at the Hobbs Funeral Home in South Portland, Maine. The family asked that memorial contributions be sent in Matthew's name to the
Maine Autism Alliance, 65 Patterson St., Augusta, Maine 04330.

Obituary: An obituary for Matthew Shaw is available at the Portland Press Herald. This was selected by the Portland Press Herald on September 18, 2012 as a Featured Obituary which was titled, 'Amazing' Matthew Shaw, 38, overcame autism, loved music (a photo of Matthew is included with the feature).

Special thanks to Matthew Shaw for being an Autism Light. His life accomplishments remind all those with autism and their families that the journey of life can be great for all regardless of one's disabilities.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Curt Brown

Autism Light #192 is Curt Brown. 

Curt Brown is from Gardiner, Maine.  In 1984, Curt Brown started serving as a foster parent for adult men with autism, caring for them around the clock in his own home. He served as caregiver, household manager, and attended to all the varied needs of the group of disabled men. When he retired form this role in 2008, he was caring for 7 men. Some of the men had literally lived with Curt Brown for over 20 years of their life and viewed him as a father figure. Curt Brown is an Autism Light because of his dedication and active role in supporting adults with autism.

The following is a descriptive photo collage of Curt Brown's story developed by Kevin Wellenius. Kevin Wellenius called his presentation, A Life Pretty Full of Love. The presentation  by Kevin Wellenius (which contains actually audio in the version on his website) was superbly done and won 1st Place for Feature Audio Slideshow in the Best of Photo Journalism -2010. The photos were taken between 2007 and 2009 and followed Curt Brown's story prior to his retirement in the Fall of 2008, through when the adult men with autism were relocated to new homes. Note: If you put your cursor on the photo you can read a description of each one.





In the above presentation Curt Brown explains what he learned to make his foster parenting work. He said, "ultimately what we found was the most successful was making a cohesive family unit and treating everybody as a valid family member." 
During the final years of Curt Brown's work, the seven men he cared for were Graham Weston, Ben Brendahl, Lee Calderwood, Keith Keller, Aaron Bridgham, Timmy Barton, and John Williamson. All the 7 men were found other suitable living arrangements when Curt Brown retired in 2008. Three of the more severely disabled men were kept together and ended up living together with the Mark and Sheila Pelletier family. Mark Pelletier knew the men because since 1996 he has worked with them in the Art & Crafts/Carpentry work program for the men where they builds recycled bird houses (Source).  Curt Brown indicated in this presentation that he planned to keep in contact with the men and was going to invite some over to his home for special occasions or to give Mark and Sheila Pelletier respite. 
Special thanks to Curt Brown for opening his home to adults with autism and taking on a role that must have been challenging at times. Curt Brown's choice to give of his life as a foster parent to adults with autism may have kept several adults with autism from being institutionalized or further marginalized by society over the years. The light of Curt Brown's work continues to be an example even though he is retired from this role. Curt Brown is the first Foster Parent to be named an Autism Light and his humble and consistent light for autism is one of the most inspiring to appear on Autism Light.  
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Cathy Dionne

---

Autism Light Classic
Update Under Construction: January 25, 2023

---

Autism Light #145 is Cathy Dionne.

Cathy Dionne is the Executive Director of the Autism Society of Maine, located in Winthrop, Maine. Cathy has worked for the Autism Society of Maine since 1997. She has two adult children and her son Ben has autism. Cathy Dionne is an Autism Light for being an autism mother and for her years of service to provide programs that help meet the needs of those with autism in Maine and those who care about them.

Cathy Dionne said even though there's still "almost that pity look" when people hear a child has autism she has this message for parents.

"Autism is very treatable. There is a lot of hope out there. There's a lot of services out there too. There are a lot of people who care about these children and adults."

Over the past several years The State of Maine has been either #2 or #3 on the list for the highest prevalence of autism rates in the United States, based on percentage of population. The programs and services that Cathy Dionne provides through the Autism Society of Maine are a potential blessing to the over 2,500 families in Maine who have children with autism. The Autism Society of Maine is also able to assist with the needs of adults with autism as well. Cathy Dionne mentions three important services that the Autism Society of Maine does for autism. They are as follows:

1. Lending Library--Over 900 media materials are available and they can be shipped out upon request.
2. Autism Information Specialist--This allows people to get referrals for local specialists that they can talk directly with about autism related needs.
3. Summer Camp--This is a free Summer Camp for children in Maine who have autism.

Cathy Dionne currently serves on the Public Policy Committee of The Autism Society.  She explains about the services of The Autism Society of Maine in the following conversation she had for the Bangor Public Library.

  

Social Media: You can find Cathy Dionne on LinkedIn.

Special thanks to Cathy Dionne for the work she is doing to reach the people in the State of Maine on behalf of Autism. It is a well deserved recognition that she is the first Autism Light from the State of Maine. 

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Cathy Dionne.